Revisiting Immigration Bill Is an Option, Democrats Say

By CARL HULSE

Published: June 11, 2007

Senate Democrats opened the door to reviving the stalled immigration measure on Sunday, calling on Republicans to resolve their internal divisions and produce an agreement on how to move the legislation forward.

With Bush administration officials and Republican authors of the overhaul saying they had not given up on the bill, the spokesman for Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, said Mr. Reid would be willing to try again if Republicans agreed to a defined number of amendments and a time limit on debate.

''If and when Republicans can agree on a limited number of amendments and agree on the need to get this bill passed, Senator Reid is committed to finding room on the Senate schedule as soon as possible,'' said Jim Manley, the spokesman, who said President Bush needed to play a role as well. ''The hope is that he can apply enough pressure to provide the votes we need to get the bill out of the Senate.''

Mr. Bush is scheduled to visit the Capitol on Tuesday for a lunch with Senate Republicans. That meeting will come just days after the immigration proposal, one of his chief domestic priorities, was derailed when an effort to bring a two-week debate to a close came up far short of the votes needed.

On Sunday, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said the administration was ''more determined than ever'' to push the measure, which has drawn strong opposition from conservatives.

''Walking away from this bill suggests that we are comfortable with the status quo,'' Mr. Gutierrez said on ''Late Edition'' on CNN. ''And I think that's a big mistake.''

The Senate effort on immigration collapsed Thursday night when Mr. Reid pulled the bill after Republicans could not agree among themselves on what amendments they wanted debated in exchange for moving to a final vote. Republican supporters of the bill joined its opponents to block a final vote, saying they needed more time.

Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, one of the main Republican proponents of the measure, suggested Sunday that he was running out of patience with some of his colleagues and was prepared to override their objections if there was not progress soon on an agreement.

''I want to make it clear that while I voted to allow my Republican colleagues more time to bring their amendments forth, they've had a good chance to do that,'' Mr. Kyl said on the CNN program. ''And I'm ready to vote to limit the further debate if they don't come forward and give us the amendments that they want so that we can get it done.''

Faced with Mr. Reid's deadline on Thursday, some Republicans -- led by Senators Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Jeff Sessions of Alabama -- blocked the Senate from considering even Republican amendments and called for much more debate than Democrats would accept. Democrats said that Mr. Kyl and Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, needed to squeeze concessions from the senators fighting the bill though they were skeptical it could be done since some critics appear determined to kill the measure.

''We need a breakthrough on the Republican side,'' Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat, said on ''Fox News Sunday.'' ''It will take some leadership on the Republican side to agree on the number of amendments, to agree that we're not going to waste more time on procedural slowdowns, and really get to the heart of the issue.''

Republican critics of the bill have called for more chances to eliminate provisions they describe as amnesty. The bill would allow some of those who entered the country illegally an opportunity to qualify for legal residency by paying fines and meeting other conditions. Members of the bipartisan coalition that drafted the bill also want another chance to overturn some changes that were made, such as a provision that would limit to five years a new temporary worker program sought by business interests.

Even if there is a new agreement, it is unlikely the Senate would return to the bill immediately. On Monday the Senate is to consider a politically charged proposal for a ''no confidence'' vote on Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, followed by a week or more of debate on energy legislation. Given high gasoline prices, Democratic leaders of the Senate are intent on showing the public they are taking steps to curb energy costs.

But Mr. Kyl predicted Sunday that the Senate would return to the bill and pass it before its Fourth of July recess, even though he acknowledged that the immigration battle was taking a political toll on the Republican Party.

''There is no political winner in this for us,'' Mr. Kyl said on CNN. ''But sometimes there are big problems that have to be addressed, and there's no political gain in it and maybe even political loss. You've got to do it, nonetheless.''

Photo: Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, far left, and Senator Jon Kyl, Republican of Arizona, proponents of the stalled immigration bill. Mr. Kyl said yesterday that he was running out of patience with his colleagues. (Photo by Jamie Rose for The New York Time)